The roll call was also a victory for the National Rifle Association, which opposed the plan as an ineffective infringement on gun rights.
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This video frame grab provided by Senate Television shows Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., using a poster of weapons as she speaks about gun legislation today on the floor of the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington.
The Senate has rejected a bipartisan effort to expand federal background checks to more firearms buyers in a crucial showdown over gun control.
Today's vote was a jarring blow to the drive to curb firearms sparked by December's massacre of children and staff at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. President Barack Obama made broadened background checks the centerpiece of his gun control proposals.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and colleague Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., proposed the legislation.
“I did what I thought was the right thing for our country," Toomey said in a news release after the vote. "I sought out a compromise position that I thought could move the ball forward on an important matter of public safety. My only regret is that our amendment did not pass. It’s not the outcome I hoped for, but the Senate has spoken on the subject, and it’s time to move on. We have a lot of other very important issues to deal with such as getting the economy back on track, dealing with the debt ceiling and creating more jobs for Pennsylvanians.”
The roll call was also a victory for the National Rifle Association, which opposed the plan as an ineffective infringement on gun rights.
The proposal would have required background checks for all transactions at gun shows and online. Currently they must occur for sales handled by licensed gun dealers.
The system is designed to keep criminals and people with mental problems from getting guns.